Static and dynamic behaviour of sandwich beams with porous core: Experiment and moving least squares mesh-free analysis

Abstract

In this paper, the static and dynamic behaviour of sandwich beams with porous core are numerically analyzedand validated by experimental tests. The beam consists of a thick porous core with a uniform porosity distribution over its domain and two outer face layers. For the theoretical study, the virtual work principle is employed to derive the governing equation. A one-dimensional (1D) mesh-free approach, associated with the moving least squares Hermite interpolation, is developed to approximate the primary variable fields and discretize the governing equation. Additionally, a simple transformation method is applied to create Kronecker delta property of constructed shape functions, straightforwardly facilitating the imposition of the boundary condition, similar to the finite element method without additional techniques. The accuracy of the computational method is subsequently verified against previous literature. For the experimental tests, various mechanical responses, such as the natural frequency, static deflection, and deflection-time history of a cantilever porous sandwich beam consisting of cemboard faces and a concrete core with Expanded Polystyrene are measured and compared with the theoretical prediction. The outcomes of this study can be valuable for the design of sandwich beams with porous core.